We have spent the last six months informing and educating people on the effects large scale diversions will have on our coastal communities and seafood industry. Now that more and more people are aware of the problem, there is one common question, What can I do to help? We can not be successful in protecting our industries and heritage without EVERYONE’S help! We know that life is busy, so we have made it simple. There are two ways to show your support for the culture and way of life that we all love. First click on the link in the menu at the top of this site and sign the petition. It takes literally seconds, and every time someone signs it all of our elected officials get emails or faxes telling them that we are united in our goal. We have sent over 100,000 emails and faxes to date! Second, you can become a member! For as little as $35 you can join the SLC. The bigger our member base the louder our voice is to our elected officials. You can join by clicking the “Become a Member” link above or by mailing a check to Save Louisiana Coalition, Inc, PO Box 385, St.Bernard, LA 70085. We have an amazing board of directors made up of all the different sectors of the seafood industry and coastal community representatives who are working tirelessly to protect your livelihood and homes, but now we need you to take action too! Please take a few minutes out of your day and show your support for the SLC!

An Awesome Letter from Kerri Callais-Lubrano

Our seafood industry is being threatened, and we need your support! Last year the Louisiana legislature approved the 2012 Coastal Master Plan. It is a plan of 109 projects with a price tag of $50 billion designed to save Louisiana from coastal erosion. We commend our elected officials for acting on this all important issue. No one wants to save our coast more than we do. We are residents and make our living on the land that we are quickly losing. We are the people of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, and all of the coastal parishes. We are commercial and recreational fisherman, shrimpers, crabbers, oyster fisherman. We are the businesses that support the fishing industry and are supported by it, packaging plants, ice plants, restaurants, and grocery stores. We are the people who love Louisiana and its seafood because there is nothing in the world like it. We are invested in our coast and will support the restoration of it any way we can; however , there is a serious issue with the master plan . While the vast majority of it would be helpful to restoring our coast, there is one project that will be detrimental. A section of the plan calls for the construction of 10 diversions, spillways that will divert fresh water from the Mississippi river into our salt water marshes. There are diversions that already exist today, like the diversions in Caernarvon and West Point a la Hache, but they in no way compare to the massive size of the proposed structures. The Caernarvon diversion for example has a max flow rate of 8000 cfs (cubic feet per second); two of the master plan's diversions will have max flow rates of 250,000 cfs. To put this in perspective that is the same size as the Bonnet Carre spillway!

Diversions of this size will destroy our entire fishing industry as we know it. The best oyster beds in the world will no longer exist, the shrimp and crab population will be devastated, trout fishing will be a thing of the past. If this sounds dramatic, it's because it is! Our fisherman came back from Katrina, they are still fighting their way back from BP, but this will be much worse than either of those. These diversions will be permanent structures, our industries, our heritage, our way of life, will have no chance of coming back. The officials who created this plan are not arguing the consequences, they say that the diversions will displace residents and change the fishing industry but that is an acceptable trade-off! We say it is not, we will not give up our homes and our industry for an idea that they don't even know the effects of. The men and women who formed this coalition have spent their lives on these waters, I trust that they know and want what is best for it, more than the politicians in Baton Rouge. It is not their homes or jobs that will be affected, it is ours, and we need to stand together and fight.

The St. Bernard and Plaquemines parish governments are both in full support of our group, and even passed ordinances opposing the construction of any new diversions.

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As bad as that sounds, it isn't even the worst part. On top of demolishing the most valuable industry coastal Louisiana has, many scientists believe that large scale diversions simply will not work, and they have history on their side. Three of the longest running diversions currently in operation are Caernarvon, Naomi, and West Point a la Hache. These diversions have been in operation since the 90's and no significant land development has occurred, in fact the Caernarvon diversion has actually eroded land! Furthermore, any land that does develop from fresh water is highly susceptible to storms. The Mississippi is not the same as it was 100 years ago when its annual flooding sustained our land. Current numbers estimate that it has only about 1/4 of the silt that used to flow down it, and the waters are highly polluted. The river water that will be diverted is full of fertilizers from the farmland in the Midwest. This allows for quick growth above the surface, but no substantial root system, completely unlike our natural marshes. Every storm that blows through will destroy any progress that the diversion appears to have made. This was proven after Hurricane Katrina where in the path of the Caernarvon diversion 50% of the land was lost. The natural salt water marshes of Delacroix and the Biloxi marsh only saw 2-10% erosion. So we are going to build structures that cost us millions of dollars, that even at best case scenario will take decades to build land, and that storms will destroy every time they blow through. It makes absolutely no sense!

Let me be clear, we are for coastal restoration, and even for a lot of the master plan. The coast is our home and our livelihood. We want to save it more than anyone, but these large scale diversions are not the answer. There are several other PROVEN methods, including dredging and land-building that would be much more successful than the diversions, will have immediate results, and will not take our industry away from us in the process. A coalition has been formed, The Save Louisiana Coalition, and we are asking for your support. Please join our fight and help to spread the word. This is the most important fight of our lifetime, and to be successful, we need everyone that this will affect to stand together with us. So join our coalition, Sign our petition, forward this message to your elected officials, educate your family and friends, and thank you for supporting coastal Louisiana.